George Paul Csicsery's absorbing documentary on the life of controversial mathematician Paul Erdös (1913-1996) offers a whirlwind view of 20th century academia and Cold War politics. Born in Budapest to Jewish parents, Erdös was forced to leave Hungary in 1934 due to the growing anti-Semitism in that country, taking a post-doctoral fellowship at England's Manchester University and later arriving in America in 1938. His concept of the Prime Number Theorem (there is always at least one prime number between n and 2n for n 2) created a sensation in academic circles, but Erdös' eccentric personality and unconventional lifestyle (he took part-time appointments at different universities rather than a full-time fellowship at one school) isolated him from his colleagues. Erdös was the victim of McCarthy-era hysteria when he was denied reentry to the U.S. after a 1954 tour of Europe, and settled in Israel for a decade before being allowed back in the U.S., where he resumed his peripatetic teaching career. N is a Number imaginatively employs animated sequences to illustrate Erdös' mathematic formulas (years before Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind did the same) and the film is rich in interviews with peers and admirers who offer insights into Erdös' world and the workings of his overactive mind. Even those who find balancing a checkbook to be a challenge will enjoy this engrossing celebration of a remarkable and complex genius. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
N is a Number
(1995) 57 min. VHS or DVD: $99. Zala Films (dist. by George Paul Csicsery). PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 0-933621-62-0 (vhs), 0-9724588-1-6 (dvd). Volume 19, Issue 6
N is a Number
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: